Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-12-07

and internal revenue taxes levied upon
the consumption of tobacco and spir1tu
Gus and malt liquors. 1t must be con
sidered that none of these taxes relating
to things subjected to internal revenu.e
taxation are, strictly speaking, necessary,
and 1t so appears to be no just cause OF
complaint of the consumers of the arti-
Giles, and there seems to be nothing so
well able 60 bear the burden without
hardship to any portion OF the people.
But our present tariff laws, the various,
inequitable and illegal sourceo of unneces-
sary taxation, ought to be at once re-
vised and amended. These laws, as their
primary and plain effect, raise the price
to consumers of all articles imported and
paid for such duties. Thus the amount
of fhe duty measures the tax paid by
those who purchase for use here import
ed articles. Many of these things, how
ever, are raised or manufactured in our
WI country. And the duties now lev
led upon foreign goods and products are
called protection to these home manu-
features because they render it possible
for those of our people who are manu-
facturers to make these taxed articles
and sell them for a price equal
to that demanded for the imported goods
that have customs duty. So 1t happens
that while comparatively Is few use the
imported articles. millions OF our people
who never use and never saw any Of the
foreign products, purchase and use things
OF the5same kind made in this country,
and pay therefor nearly or quite the same
enhanced price which the duty adds to
the imported articles.
Those Who Psy Imports
pay the duty charged thereon into the
public treasury. But the majority of
n citizens who buy domestic articles
of the same class pay a sum at least ap-
proximately equal to this duty to the
home manufacturers.
This reference to the operation Ut our
laws lis not made by way of instruction,
but in order that we may be constantly
reminded of the manner in which they
impose a burden upon those who consume
domestic products as well as those who
consume imported articles, and thus
create a tax upon all our people. 1t is
now proposed to entirely relieve the
country of this taxation. It must be ex-
tensiyely continued as the source of the
governments income; an in a readjust-
ment of III tariff the interest Of
American Lnbor
engaged in manufactures should be care
fully considered, as well as the preserya-
ton Of u manufactures. 1t may be
called protection, or by any otherHname,
but the relief from the hardships
and dangers of II present tariff
laws should be devised with especial pre-
caution against imperiling the existence
of manufacturing interest. But
this existence should not mean a condi-
ton which, without regard to the public
welfare, or a natural ~exigency, must al
ways insure the realization OF the i'm
mense profits Instead of moderately
diversity of our national activities in
crease, new recruits are added to those
who desire a continuation Of the advant-
ages which they conceive the present
system of tariff taxation directly affords
them. So stubbornly have all efforts to
reform the present condition
been resisted by those Of
our fellow.citizens thus engaged,
that there q hardly be complaint
of the suspicion entertained to ascertain
the extent that there exists an organized
combination all along the line to main
tain their advantage. We are in the
midst ff-csfitensi ai celebrations, and
with becoming pride We rejoice in Amer
lean skill and ingenuity, in American
energy and enterprise, and the wonderful
natural advantages and de-
yeloped by the
C~entury's National Growth,
yet when an attempt is made to justify
Il scheme which permits q tax to be laid
auorx- anncY, or In Ntba 1aoJ Sf.n AZ
benefit of our manufacturers, quite be-
yond a reasonable demand for govern
regard, it suits the purposes Of
manufacturers infant industries, still
needing the highest and greatest degree
Of care that can be wrung from federal
1t is claimed that the in
crease in the price of domestic manufac-
lures resulting from the present tariff,
is necessary in order that higher wages
be paid to u workingmen en-
in manufactures than are paid
for s o-calle6 pauper labor. We acknowl-
edge the force of an argument which in
the welfare and liberal compen-
Bation of u iabering people.
Our Labor is Honorable
In the eyes Of every American citizen,
and has at the foundation op~en.develop-
and Is entitled without affectation
or hypocrisy, to the utmost regard. The
standard of our laborers' life should not
be marred by that of another country
favored, and they are entitled
to their full share of our advantages. By
the last census it is made appear that
owe ~, 1885,, 099 of our population were
engaged in all kinds of industries; $780,
483 are employed in agriculture; 4,074,.
238 In professional and personal service
e, 499. 1915 of whom are domestic servants
and laborers) while 1,610,256 are en-
in trade and transportation and
1887, 112 are classed as employed at man
ufacturing and mining. For present pur-
poses, however, the latter number should
be considerably reduced. Without at
tempting to enumerate all, it will be con
coded that there should be de-
Quoted from those which it In
cludes 33775, 143 carpenters and %joiners,
1856, ITO m~illiners and dressmakers,.
and seamstresses, 172, 1913 blacksmiths,
1873, 1853 tailors and tailoresses, ITO. 900
masons, 76, 241 butchers, Al, $780, bakers,
90, 1872 plasterers, and 1901 manufactur-
ing agricultural implements, leav-
Ing 2,623, 089 persons employed In manu-
featuring Industries claimed to be bene-
fted in a high tariff.
To Those the Appeal is Made
to save their employment, and maintain
their wages by resisting a change. There
should be no disposition to answer such
suggestions by the allegations that they
are in q minority among those who la
Dor, and therefore should forego an ad-
vantage In the interest Of low prices for
the majority. Their compensation, az
1t may he affected by the onerRtions Of
tariff laws, should at all times be scru-.
plilously kept in view, aud yet with
slight reflection they will not overlook